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It isn't unusual to hear honking in the queue at a restaurant drive-through. It's just that the sound is usually made by a car horn.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
"And Hold the Tartar Sauce, Please."
It isn't unusual to hear honking in the queue at a restaurant drive-through. It's just that the sound is usually made by a car horn.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
This Week's Chore: Spring Cleaning the Pantry and Freezer
There was no time to do the grocery shopping this weekend unless you count the staples bought using the few dollars left from the previous week's grocery budget. That got me thinking. I wonder if I have enough food on hand to feed us this week? I wouldn't mind saving the money. And as an added bonus I could clean the freezers and shelves.
Sounded like a plan. And yes, I know it isn't original with me. But right now I'm in the mood for spring cleaning and this opportunity just naturally presented itself.
So far I have managed to clean out the upstairs cabinets and the small freezer (the one attached to the refrigerator). The chest freezer and the downstairs pantry shelves still remain (and are the ones that make me groan just thinking about them). Here are the meals that have resulted from my current efforts:
Sounded like a plan. And yes, I know it isn't original with me. But right now I'm in the mood for spring cleaning and this opportunity just naturally presented itself.
So far I have managed to clean out the upstairs cabinets and the small freezer (the one attached to the refrigerator). The chest freezer and the downstairs pantry shelves still remain (and are the ones that make me groan just thinking about them). Here are the meals that have resulted from my current efforts:
- A single can of tuna made a nice lunch yesterday after we returned from co-op. Since we had no sliced bread thawed (at that time, anyway) we ate tuna salad on a tube of Ritz crackers.
- Last night The Bear fixed a "found" box of macaroni and cheese as a side dish for leftover spare ribs and mixed vegetables.
- This morning I used the last of a box of baking mix to whip up waffles which were topped with the dregs of an almost empty syrup bottle. The last few slices of bacon were microwaved also. (Since we sleep in on Tuesdays this was brunch.)
- This afternoon we had an improvised version of "Hawaiian pork chops" using a can of pineapple chunks, some brown sugar, and a bit of flour for thickening the sauce. A package of brussel sprouts that was unearthed from the back of the freezer provided veggies. (Pastor Dad has an evening appointment so we ate an early meal.)
- The breakfast bacon drippings were combined with remnants of corn meal and rye flour and added to the meat fats saved for making bird suet. See my recipe here. We are out of peanut butter but the woodpeckers don't seem to mind. The basket has been empty for a couple of weeks but it took mere minutes for them to discover that I'd refilled it. They must have quite the advertising system!
But Then That Cloud Moves!
When that Cloud moves, you better follow.
When that Cloud speaks, you better close your mouth and open your ears.
The God who promises wonderful things for the future is the same God who promises His presence in the present.
(See the book of Numbers, chapters 13 and 14)
When that Cloud speaks, you better close your mouth and open your ears.
(See Luke 9:36)
The Cloud will speak and move to fulfill His part. May we be found ready to hear and heed as we go forward to possess the things that God has promised.
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. I Corinthians 2:9
The God who promises wonderful things for the future is the same God who promises His presence in the present.
Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Hebrews 13:5
Monday, March 28, 2011
Frugal Sunday Dinner, 3/20/2011
The date is not a mistake. Not only did we not eat here yesterday, but I did not have opportunity last Monday to discuss the previous day's meal. We were busy with special services at church all week so my attention was focused elsewhere.
Special services also means special guests around the Sunday dinner table. As a consequence, I spent a bit more money than usual for the meal, at least I thought that at first. But upon further inspection I discovered that I actually got more mileage out of this meal than anticipated.
Our menu was a classic dinner of roast beef with gravy, baked potatoes and fixings, baked sweet potatoes, California-style veggies, and rolls. We had hot fudge cake for dessert.
The biggest problem I encountered, besides the fact that I wanted this meal to turn out well, was that I had to buy just about everything for it because there were no roasts in my freezer or potatoes in the bin. I also had no cake mix, sour cream, or time to make rolls or hot fudge sauce from scratch. In other words, I had to buy practically every ingredient. Thankfully, that doesn't happen very often. But since it did, I know that I paid exactly $44.93 for the meal. And since I know I fed 13 people that Sunday I also know the price per person to be about $3.46. OUCH!
But that's not the whole story. We had leftovers, and lots of 'em!
On Monday, I took some of the leftover roast, gravy, California veggies, and one baked potato and combined them to make beef stew. Since we had homeschool co-op all day and little time to prepare dinner before the evening church service I was able to feed the three of us a meal made from the leftovers without it seeming like we were eating leftovers.
On Tuesday, I used two of the leftover baked potatoes and combined them with milk, sour cream, and cheese to make loaded potato soup. There were enough slices of roast left (sans the gravy) for sandwiches. This was another quick meal designed for a church night.
Since there were 13 fed on Sunday and 3 each on Monday and Tuesday, the total number of people fed from that $44.93 was actually 19. This brings the cost down to $2.36 per person which is within my target parameters for a nice Sunday dinner.
As always, I'll leave you with the directions for the dessert that was served. If you have a Shoney's, Frisch's, or other restaurant that serves a hot fudge cake, then you'll know what this looks like.
Bake a chocolate cake in a 9 x 13 inch pan according to the directions on the box. Allow cake to cool but DO NOT ICE IT! When ready to assemble, cut cake into squares. Slice each cake square horizontally to make a top and bottom layer.
Place a slice of vanilla ice cream between the cake layers sandwich-style. Heat homemade or commercially prepared hot fudge sauce and place a generous portion on top of each cake/ice cream sandwich.
Put a dollop of whipped cream over the fudge sauce and finish with a cherry on the top. Serve immediately.
Makes 15 generous servings.
Special services also means special guests around the Sunday dinner table. As a consequence, I spent a bit more money than usual for the meal, at least I thought that at first. But upon further inspection I discovered that I actually got more mileage out of this meal than anticipated.
Our menu was a classic dinner of roast beef with gravy, baked potatoes and fixings, baked sweet potatoes, California-style veggies, and rolls. We had hot fudge cake for dessert.
The biggest problem I encountered, besides the fact that I wanted this meal to turn out well, was that I had to buy just about everything for it because there were no roasts in my freezer or potatoes in the bin. I also had no cake mix, sour cream, or time to make rolls or hot fudge sauce from scratch. In other words, I had to buy practically every ingredient. Thankfully, that doesn't happen very often. But since it did, I know that I paid exactly $44.93 for the meal. And since I know I fed 13 people that Sunday I also know the price per person to be about $3.46. OUCH!
But that's not the whole story. We had leftovers, and lots of 'em!
On Monday, I took some of the leftover roast, gravy, California veggies, and one baked potato and combined them to make beef stew. Since we had homeschool co-op all day and little time to prepare dinner before the evening church service I was able to feed the three of us a meal made from the leftovers without it seeming like we were eating leftovers.
On Tuesday, I used two of the leftover baked potatoes and combined them with milk, sour cream, and cheese to make loaded potato soup. There were enough slices of roast left (sans the gravy) for sandwiches. This was another quick meal designed for a church night.
Since there were 13 fed on Sunday and 3 each on Monday and Tuesday, the total number of people fed from that $44.93 was actually 19. This brings the cost down to $2.36 per person which is within my target parameters for a nice Sunday dinner.
As always, I'll leave you with the directions for the dessert that was served. If you have a Shoney's, Frisch's, or other restaurant that serves a hot fudge cake, then you'll know what this looks like.
HOMEMADE HOT FUDGE CAKE
Bake a chocolate cake in a 9 x 13 inch pan according to the directions on the box. Allow cake to cool but DO NOT ICE IT! When ready to assemble, cut cake into squares. Slice each cake square horizontally to make a top and bottom layer.
Place a slice of vanilla ice cream between the cake layers sandwich-style. Heat homemade or commercially prepared hot fudge sauce and place a generous portion on top of each cake/ice cream sandwich.
Put a dollop of whipped cream over the fudge sauce and finish with a cherry on the top. Serve immediately.
Makes 15 generous servings.
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